Wok Picadillo

I was thrilled to get contacted by Associated Press’ Food Editor, J.M. Hirsch to write an article, “Asian techniques meet Hispanic ingredients”, which got picked up by many news sites around the world including Taiwan and Trinidad! My local newspaper, Miami Herald picked this up and did a huge feature story and included 2 more dishes! It all started on Facebook with a request to find out what spices and ingredients were significant in Hispanic cooking! Whoosh, an avalanche erupted, I love how social media connects people, so join in the conversation.

What a coincidence my Wok Picadillo goes with this month’s theme, Cross Cultural dishes for #LetsLunch. A fusion mashup using my technique to ‘season’ the ground beef like I would a stir fry but keeping the olives and raisins for a Hispanic touch. There’s so many interesting similarities between Asian and Hispanic dishes like Paella and Fried Rice or Peruvian Chifa. I’m constantly encouraging people to use their woks for other styles of cooking or even toasting nuts and spices.

Do visit my #LetsLunch buddies posts below for their take on Cross Cultural dishes. And if you’d like to join, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or, post a comment below. Thanks as always to A Tiger in the Kitchen and Cowgirl Chef who started this, connecting us from all walks of life and sharing our food. Congratulations to Ellise Pierce of Cowgirl Chef with her new cookbook: Texas Cooking with a French Accent, how cool. You can preorder here!

This Cuban Wok Picadillo uses my same cooking process for a stir fry. Many Hispanic students love this approach, you can even see a video of them talking about it here. I learned to use the term “seasoning” instead of “marinading” because I don’t use a ton of liquid to soak my meat like a western marinade, try it you’ll really notice a difference in the texture of your meat!

Do get an rss feed or subscribe to my newsletter in right sidebar because I tend to make revisions to a post after it’s published. I’ll be experimenting a lot more with adapting other styles of cooking in a wok including my mom’s banana fritters!

In a medium bowl, whisk together the tamari, sherry, cornstarch and white pepper. Add the ground beef and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.

Set your wok over high and let heat for 1 minute. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and both bell peppers. As soon as they hit the wok, immediately stir them around the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are just barely cooked and still firm and colorful.

Transfer the vegetables to a plate. Use paper towels to dry the wok, then return it to the heat.

When the wok is hot again, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic first, then immediately add the ground beef.

Use the back of the spatula to spread the beef across the wok as if frying a wide burger. Let the meat sear on one side until golden brown. This gives your meat a crispy exterior with juicy interior. You can test for doneness by flipping beef in the center of your wok where the heat is the hottest. If it is golden brown, flip all the beef and start breaking it up with your spatula.

Once the beef is just cooked (when you don’t see any red, about 7 minutes), return the onion-pepper mixture to the pan. Add the tomatoes, olives, raisins, cumin, oregano and paprika. Mix well, then reduce heat to medium and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.

Serve spooned over rice and topped with fresh cilantro, mint or parsley.

I make my picadillo with ground turkey these days, but your technique should work as well, I would think. The one thing that seemed missing to me is more sherry. That was always an important ingredient in my mother’s recipe and one teaspoon doesn’t seem like quite enough. I will try it your way then taste and add more sherry as needed.

Hi Celita, nice to hear from you. Ah, the sherry was to ‘season’ the ground beef for the stir fry. Remember, it has to be dry so you don’t ‘stew’ your meat. Yes, I heard from many Cuban friends they wanted more dry wine in it! Go ahead, add after frying the meat, not for the ‘seasoning’ of the meat. As with any of my dishes, feel free to adjust to your liking, it’s what cooking is all about.

what a great and easy way to make picadillo. The possibilities are endless. I usually make a big batch of picadillo that I can then make may dinners from…tacos, chili, picadillo and white rice…this wok picadillo makes it an even easier process! Great job!

Hi Lillian, what a great idea to use your Picadillo in other ways. Try red or brown rice, but don’t add twice amount of water as directed on package. Proportion is 2 cups rice, 3 cups water. It’s healthier, less starch and sugar than white rice. Has a nutty texture and everyone who’s tried in my class loves it.

Hi, I'm Wok Star Eleanor Hoh, cooking teacher, blogger and presenter. What I enjoy most is sharing my knowledge and love of wok cooking! My NO-RECIPE, NO-MEASURING, NO-CALORIE COUNTING technique for one-dish dinners uses a few fresh ingredients and only 4 seasonings! I'll show you how with the right wok, the right wok hei (high heat), the right technique and quality ingredients. Anyone can Cook Like a Wok Star using my Wok Star Kit. I hope you'll enjoy visiting my website which is full of information, videos, resources and tips to make you a Wok Star!Read more...